The Story of Scarlet
by perseverance-n
Summary: Scarlet's world, literally, turns upside down when she's swept into the fifth book of Harry Potter. Trying to keep things normal, she attends Hogwarts as the daughter of Sirius Black but it's far from ordinary. Especially since she's fallen into the house of Slytherin. SI-OC/Some AU/Spoilers
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I'm not sure if this fanfic is categorized as a self-insert but the character is swept from one world to the next and in this instance, it's inside a book.

 **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is not mine. The brilliant J.K. Rowling owns the books and world. I'm writing this fanfiction purely for fun and am not making a profit from it. Only the OCs are mine.

 **Warning:** Self-insert?, OOCs, OCs, slight Mary-sue, some alternate universe, darkness and violence. This is a slow burn type of story with romance. Also, the suspense will build slowly in this plot.

 _ **Please leave no flames.**_

* * *

 **The Story of Scarlet**

 ** _The Untold Tale of the Black Family_**

* * *

"Scarlet," someone called to me. "What is the due date for our blog?"

I shrugged my shoulders, uncaring about the due date. I already completed my entries for "Dracula" I had to read for my Victoria Literature class.

"Don't you know you won't get an answer from her?" another young girl whispered by me. "She doesn't talk to anyone." The girl's eyes darted to me and her face turned red when she caught me looking at her.

I rolled my eyes before directing my attention on the computer screen. Hitting the "x" on the corner of the computer screen, I closed my blog's window. I stretched my arms above my head. Inhaling a deep breath, I pushed back my chair.

"Scarlet?" I glanced at the clock above the markerboard. "Scarlet Young?"

"Class has ended, Professor Evans." I pointed to the clock. The long hand was a minute after the big twelve. The professor looked down at her wristwatch. A sigh escaped her lips. "Please read the last couple of chapters of Dracula and post an entry in your blog. I expect you to respond to at least three of other people's blogs," she announced to the class.

It was the same homework assignment the professor gave in each class besides analyzing each chapter in depth and then quizzing us on it. Fortunately, I enjoyed reading Victorian literature and I aced every one of her tests. Victorian literature, however, was the only English class I was taking this semester. I had Chemistry, Calculus, Accounting II and an art class.

And when I wasn't attending class, I worked in the administration office for work study.

A good-looking blond guy walked up next to me as I put on my school bag. He stepped aside, letting me pass him until we exited our classroom.

"So how did it go?"

I raised my eyebrows at him while not pausing from our stroll to the school cafeteria. "How did what go?"

"Come on, we both know you were working on your entry in class."

"It sucks."

He scratched his head. "You can always change it later. Besides, your crappy work always turns out better than mine."

I gave Anton a little one of my smiles because he was correct. But then, I felt bad for him because he put a lot of effort and thought in his entries whereas I wrote whatever came to mind and I still received better marks than him.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll be the first one to comment on your entry."

He returned my smile. "You're always the first one."

I shrugged my shoulders at him, my smile turning goofy. "Well, I'm your biggest fan."

"You're my only fan," he retorted.

It was rare for some other person to leave a comment on his page.

"Anton, you just have to write what interests the people."

"Like how you do?"

I exhaled, my face deflating. "You make it sound like I'm doing a bad thing."

"No." He shook his head. "I just kind of envy how you know how to grab the readers' interest."

"And I envy how popular you are with the people in class." It was rather funny how Anton and I were different. Where he lacked writing his blog entries, he made up for it in person. He had more friends then he could count on his fingers. I, on the other hand, didn't do well with conversing with others. He was the only person I called 'friend.'

"By the way, I got you something."

"Aww, you shouldn't have."

We stopped by an empty table. We put our bags on it and I sat down on the chair. Anton unzipped his bag and pulled out a book, but not just any book.

He placed it flat out on the table while my eyes widened to huge proportions on my face. He laughed. "What happened? Cat caught your tongue?"

I opened my mouth but words failed me.

He laughed again. "It's just a new book J.K. Rowling wrote."

"And you managed to get it!" I spluttered out at last. Anton knew how big of a Harry Potter fan I was; however, I was unable to find time to go to a bookstore to grab the latest book. I was going to settle with ordering it online.

"How long did you stand online to get this?" I questioned him seriously, while putting my hands on the book.

"Not that long."

"Really?" I unzipped my bag and quickly put the book in it while nervously glancing around me. I didn't want others to know how big of a Harry Potter fan I was. If they knew, I couldn't live it down.

"Four hours," he finally replied.

I put my hands over my face. I exhaled, "Oh my gosh!"

The things Anton did for me. I didn't deserve his friendship.

"It's nothing, really."

My hands dropped back to my bag and I stared directly into his dark brown eyes, noting how they sparkled from the ceiling lights. "You're saying standing on line for four hours is nothing?"

He was quiet for a moment before lifting his hands in the air in a surrendering motion. "Okay, when you put it that way, you make it seem big."

"That's because it is a big deal." Simply, he went out of his way for me.

He sat down. "I know how much a big fan you are and you'll definitely want the book."

"Your gesture means so much to me." I gave him one of my sincerest smiles.

"So, she does have a good side," a new voice entered our conversation. My head whipped to the side and I saw my worst nemesis taking a seat next to Anton.

"Valorie," he said. His tone was undefinable. Valorie was a beautiful brunette girl. She had one of those hour-glass figures that looked good in anything she wore. She also had the long shiny dark hair that fell to her hips and gorgeous green eyes. Guys had to be blind not to fall for her.

"Oh come on! Don't give me that look." Then she turned her pretty face to me. She gave me one of her skeptical looks before shaking her and a slow smile spread on her beautifully pink lips. "What do we have here?"

I couldn't stop her and before I knew it, she had an object high in the air. Her green eyes squinted on the dark blue cover. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Her eyes darted to me and I gulped nervously at her. There was a reason I considered her my enemy. She had a knack for making me feel inferior than her. "Isn't this a children's book? What is a nerd doing reading a children's book?"

I tried to grab the book from her but she pulled it away. She tilted her head to the side, examining me. "You're really a geek. No wonder no one gives you the time of day."

"Valorie," Anton bit out.

She turned her head to him, giving him one of her innocent expressions. "Well, except for you. You're just a really nice guy."

He took the book from her with ease and handed it over to me. "Valorie, we need to talk." He got up from his seat with her skipping merrily to his side.

Anton took his bag and walked off with her hanging onto his arm. Her head craned over her shoulder, a sly smile on her lips while she lifted a single sculpted eyebrow at me.

Feeling blood rushing to my face, I zipped up my bag and put the strap over my shoulder. I clutched the Harry Potter book to my heart. My eyes burned as I dashed my way out of the cafeteria until I reached outside the school campus ground.

I found a bench under a tree and a took a moment to sit down and catch my breath. Placing the book on my lap, I removed my knapsack and put it at my side. My gaze turned to the front cover. Harry Potter was holding his wand. It was times like this where I wish I could muster some courage to feel like the hero of the book. In the muggle world, he was mistreated and misunderstood and yet in a world of magic, he made a place for himself.

I wanted a world where I could be someone, more than just a person with good grades. I wanted friends.

I wanted a place where I felt like I belong.

I shook my head. "What am I thinking? Places like other worlds don't exist. They're just a figment of the imagination."

There was a rustle of leaves, followed by a caw sound. I jerked my head to the sounds, squinting my eyes to protect them from the sunrays. A black feather drifted down in front of me. It landed on my book. Blinking, I picked up the feather, holding it between my thumb and forefinger.

"What the heck? Since when do we have crows on school grounds?"

I glanced up, my eyes straining to see beyond the foliage in search for a black bird. I saw nothing. Blinking again, I turned my attention to the feather. "Might as well use you as a bookmark."

My lips crept up on the corner of my face. I flipped the book open to page one. "Dudley Demented," I read out loud. I clasped the black feather at the end of the page as I began to read.

And something strange and unexpected happened.

Each word I read glimmered to a point they started to grow on the page and then I found myself falling straight forward into the book, meeting black and white. Closing my eyes in the head long rush of a dizzying spiral, I opened them only when I felt my heart rate steadied and the world stilled around me.

I should have kept my eyes closed. Instead of being on the school campus, two men filled my line of vision. One had shaggy black hair swept around his face. He wore dark clothing. The other person had long gray hair surrounding his wrinkly face. Small spectacles glimmered in the firelight. He wore a pale blue robe. The first word that ran in my mind was _wizard_ but I must have fallen hard on the ground to give me a dream.

"Are you sure the spell worked, Dumbledore?" the ebony haired man asked.

"I'm a hundred percent sure, Sirius. She's the one," the old man responded.

I blinked at the both of them, taking note of a wand in the elder's hand. And then I said, "What the heck?" before fainting.

OoO

"It's not suppose to be like this," I chanted to myself. "It's not suppose to be like this." I was rocking back forth, my hands covered my ears while my eyes were shut.

From the last time I checked, two grown men were talking seriously about something but I was caught in the moment of trying to understand I was witnessing the impossible; two fictional characters from a famous book by J.K. Rowling were real.

Precariously, I opened my eyes to see both men sitting in cushioned woodened chairs a few feet away from me. The man with the black shaggy hair eyed me warily. Feeling embarrassed for being caught, I closed my eyes and began chanting louder.

Then hard hands pressed on my shoulders, stopping my rocking motion. A tentative masculine voice called a name familiar to me. "Scarlet?"

However, it was a name he shouldn't know. A name that didn't exist in Harry Potter's world.

"Scarlet?"

And then another thought occurred to me. "How?"

"How what?" the voice asked back. I tilted my head back to look at him. His gray eyes focused on me.

"Did I voice my thought out loud?"

He gave me a small smile, softening the hard edges on his face. He was a runaway convict that spent twelve years in Azkaban. The rough environment had hardened his skin, sharpened the features of his face and despite him being free for how long, I could still see his skeletal frame under his skin. Was he eating the proper food?

"You did," he answered in the lightest tone he could muster. He was trying his best not to freak me out more than I already been.

I put both hands to my forehead and rubbed it tenderly. A few times I closed my eyes while inhaling deep breaths. I had to calm down to think properly. Perhaps there was a reasonable explanation like I was dreaming.

After a brief moment of silence, I raised my head to look up at the dark-haired man. I licked my cracked lips and realized that my throat felt dry, as if I had been breathing cold air for a long time.

I talked to him again, ignoring the dryness in my throat. "You wouldn't mind telling me how I came to be here?"

His forehead crinkled from his raised eyebrows. "Can't you remember anything?"

"Remember what exactly?"

There was a look on his face I couldn't describe. "You really don't remember anything?"

Slightly, I shook my head. "Look," I exhaled a breath. "A lot has happened to me. I just woke up seeing you and the other old man in front my face and then everything went black."

The man turned from me, his eyes landing on the other person in question. "Dumbledore?" Again, that name I first heard only proved I was in a different environment. "I thought you said that her memories will return."

"The spell should have worked," the elderly wizard assured him. "Maybe she needs time."

The man with ebony hair raised his head to the ceiling. His hands splayed at his sides. "We don't have that."

"Then, we should explain everything to her."

"And have her faint on us again."

"Excuse me," I interrupted them. I didn't like how they were talking about me like I wasn't in the room with them.

Then both of their serious expressions crashed on me and I had second thoughts on disrupting whatever conservation they had. But I had to figure what was going on. "Can you please fill me in on what's happening?" I put my hands in the air. "This time I promise not to faint."

"You see?" Dumbledore added in. "She's willing to listen, Sirius."

The other man gave him an exasperated expression before diverting his attention to me. "You're Scarlet and I'm Sirius Black and..."

"... And?"

"I'm your father," he blurted out.

I blinked and before I could stop myself, peals of laughter escaped me. I hunched over, covering my denial. It was as though I landed in Twilight Zone.

"That can't be," I said after a while. Wiping the wetness from my eyes, I shook my head at him. "I'm Scarlet, Scarlet Young and I'm a college student."

"Exactly," Sirius said. "You're Scarlet Young, but your original name is Scarlet Black."

"No," I said with a little laughter bubbling out of me. "I'm from a different world. My mother, although single, works as a nurse in Roosevelt Hospital. I attend Robinson University and I'm in my second year of college."

"Exactly."

My laughter faded, my face became grim. "You are aware of me being from another world?"

"Of course, that was the way your mother and I planned it."

Now things were beginning to sound strange. "My mom doesn't know this is happening," I said in disbelief.

"In fact, she does. We've been preparing for this day for a long time."

"And why am I finding this out now?"

Sirius stooped down but as he moved closer to me, I shifted away from him on the bed. "You've always known about us, about this world." He stopped talking, his gray eyes staring intently at me. "You know."

"How?" It was the first question I asked.

"Think."

I lowered my head, my fingers brushing through my dark locks. My mind wandered to earlier events. I was in school. I finished my English class and Anton was chatting with me. We stopped at the cafeteria and he presented the fifth book of Harry Potter.

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "The book."

"Yes, the books in your world tells the story of this world. It's a way to fill you in on what's happening in this world."

"But that can't be," I said in complete denial. "J.K. Rowling wrote the books."

"She is the writer and much more than that."

He wasn't doubting my words but he wasn't seeing the bigger picture. "Don't you see? You're not real."

A full smile blossomed his face and for a second I could clearly see a younger version of him. "Just because we are written in a book doesn't mean we're not real. You're here after all."

My hands pressed against the sides of head. "And that's the thing. I'm not suppose to be here."

"But you are here. This is the world you were born in."

Okay, the dementors must have done a number on sucking his soul. "I was born in Los Angeles, California. The hospital my mom works in was where I was born."

The dark-haired man wouldn't stop smiling. "We set it up to be that way so we can protect you from this world."

"Protect me from what?"

"Protect you from Voldemort and his followers," the elderly wizard supplied.

My eyes shifted to the wizard. Shock was evident on my face. "What in the world does the dark lord want with me?"

"Perhaps everything, or maybe nothing." Dumbledore got all whimsical and when he acted like that, there was no way I could understand him.

As if Sirius read my mind, he said, "How is that explaining anything?"

"She mentioned the dark lord when I said his name."

The younger wizard looked back at me. "So you do remember the full details about this world.

I realized my mistake. I let out a long breath before moving my head side-to-side. "I know as much as the books reveal to me."

"And there will be more to come," Dumbledore put in. "For this reason, we summoned you into this world."

I wasn't following along the elderly wizard's words. He seemed to read the lost expression on my face. He paced a little closer to me. His hands folded neatly behind his back. As in the illustrations in the books, Dumbledore wore long wizardly robes. "You're aware of Harry Potter?"

Who wouldn't? The books were all about his adventures in the magical world.

"He's The Boy Who Lived," I answered.

His thin lips spread across his face. "Since his first year in Hogwarts he's claimed to encounter the dark wizard, He Who Shall Not Be Named. In the Daily Prophet and other articles, there are opinions being addressed that the dark wizard isn't real."

"But he is real," I interrupted. I was going to further include that I read in the four other books, but I held myself back.

"We know," Sirius said.

My eyes turned to Sirius. "He's my godson, making him family too."

Seriously, was Sirius expecting me to believe that he and Harry were family?

"Look, just think about it. Does your mother have immediate family? I'm talking about parents, grandparents that she mentioned in the past."

I frowned at him. Mom never conversed to me about family. How many Thanksgivings, Christmases, and birthdays did we have together, with just the two of us? Even being in college, I traveled for hours on the public trains and buses home for the holidays to be with her.

My mom was just like me. We didn't have many friends besides the people we socialize with, for her, work and, for me, school. I learned long ago that we preferred to be by ourselves. I didn't realize there was a possibility of a darker secret.

"Your mother discovered some alternate worlds and when Voldemort started targeting certain wizards and witches, your mother and I did a spell to summon you to the other world. When the time was right, we would bring you back."

"If all of this is true, then summon her here."

"We can't bring her back like that. Summoning requires a lot of magical energy, the right ingredients and time," Dumbledore answered.

Folding my arms across my chest, I looked at both males skeptically. "When can you summon her?"

Sirius diverted his attention to Dumbledore. A questionable expression flashed on his face. "Maybe in a month or two."

"That's a long time," I commented, not sure that I wanted to stay in this world, as much as I love Harry Potter, for the time duration.

"It is, which brings me to my next question. Since you'll be long here with us, how do you feel about attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

Well, that was a question that rendered me speechless.

OoO

I couldn't give a definite answer to the elderly wizard. He just offered me to attend a famous school for witches and wizards. While reading the Harry Potter books, I always imagined that specially gifted people attended such an enlightened school. Harry Potter was picked because he was a famous boy who survived a tragic incident. Hermione Granger was quite an intelligent and clever witch, although she was muggle born. And Ronald Weasley, well, he was from a pureblood family.

But me?

The whole Sirius Black being my father, a lot of it was fabrication. Until my mom appeared into this world and told me otherwise, I wouldn't believe anything coming from them.

Yet, what about the feeling of never belonging from my original world?

My head shook with jerky movements. Again, I kept mulling over waking up; discovering that Harry Potter wasn't real.

Dumbledore and Sirius had left me in a bedroom, claiming it was going to be my room while staying with them. At least Sirius recognized that I wouldn't be staying for long. Why would I?

That didn't mean I was going to attend Hogwarts either.

In fact, I was at a standstill.

What would some other person do?

I got up from the bed. The partially carpeted floor creaked under my weight and I flinched. I didn't want one of them to come barging into the room because they thought I would do something stupid.

The crackling from the fireplace filled the silence. My eyes shifted to the ways the flames danced and a scene where Harry first saw Sirius through the flames in his third year at Hogwarts flickered in my mind.

"Harry Potter," I said his name.

I walked to the fire, not caring about the noise underneath my moving feet. My hands reached out to the flames. The heat intensified under my fingers. Just a touch. A quick, simple touch.

"I need to know if I'm real, if this is all real," I reassured myself. A slight burn wouldn't affect me. My middle finger touched the flames and I yelped. Quickly, I brought my hand to my chest, cradling my burnt finger.

"Not wise," I chastised myself. "But at least I know I'm real and this is all also very real too."


	2. Chapter 2

I could assume that anyone in my situation wouldn't be able to sleep but I slept like the dead. I always believed to be in the best frame of mind someone had to get enough sleep and eat the right food. If I was stuck in Harry Potter's world, I decided that I had to be prepared for anything.

Well, at least mentally.

Sleep sounded like a good start and after that, food.

My stomach growled. The last time I ate was breakfast in my world, I had a banana and a bottle of water.

Opening the door, I could hear voices in the distance. The house sounded lively besides the darkness that seemed to gloom in every room. If I had a wand I would've used a spell for some light. Instead, I opted for feeling my way along the wall. Under my fingers, the wallpaper broke apart. The floor below me didn't creak, which left me to assume that I was treading on carpet. My hands swept on some dust and something sticky got caught in my hands. I rubbed my fingers together, trying to get the stickiness off.

"I see you're making your way downstairs without light," a voice whispered in the darkness.

I screamed while backing up into a wall.

"Da-." The person didn't finish. There was a hissing noise and old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered into the hall. With the hall brightened I could make out peeling wallpaper, threadbare carpeting and age-blackened portraits that hung crooked on the walls. The house was in a dire need of good housekeeping.

And then I saw Sirius looming over me.

"I never met anyone who can scream as loudly as you."

I put a hand over my still frantic heart. "Well, you're not suppose to sneak up on people," I defended myself.

"I didn't think you would scare easily."

Raising both eyebrows at him, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Seriously?"

"You were walking around in the dark. For heavens' sake I thought you were probably one of them."

My face frowned. "One of who?"

"A death eater."

"Seriously?"

"Look, one has to take precaution these days. No one is safe with You Know Who lurking around."

Understanding him, I nodded my head.

"Come," he gestured with his hand. "You must be hungry."

With his last word, my stomach chose that moment to rumble. He laughed while waving his hand for me to follow him.

Having no other choice, I walked behind him to the stairs when he suddenly stopped. I forced myself to halt, barely missing him by a half of an inch. "Oh, I forgot to warn you that we have guests in the house."

"Guests?"

"The Weasleys are staying here at the moment along with a couple of friends. They are using this house as their headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix."

I heard the name; it was in the cover of the fifth book.

"What exactly is The Order of the Phoenix?"

"You don't know."

"Although I hate to admit this, I didn't get a chance to read the fifth book so I'm left in the dark."

He sighed. "That makes sense." There was a brief pause before he stepped away from the stairs. He headed into a room at the end of the hallway. Again, having no other choice, I followed him.

Sirius opened the door, the creaking echoed in the hallway, washing out the voices from downstairs. The room was lit by old-fashion gas lamps on the walls. There were ripped posters on the wall, more peeling wallpaper, there was what might have been once a fancy dresser, a tall dirtied mirror, an unmade bed and a bookshelf with dusty books.

He went to the bookshelf and pulled a leather book from it and then held the book for me to take. "This is what you're looking for."

On the front cover, there were no words. It was just dark blue. I scrunched my face. "I don't see anything on the front cover."

"Looks can be deceiving." He lifted the book higher into the air. "Go on, take it."

Just to get it over with, I took the object from his hand and immediately words appeared on the cover. I almost dropped the book as I clearly read out "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix." A picture of a boy with glasses holding a wand in his hand covered the rest of the front.

"Only when you touch it, the book will come to life. The book has been spelled so that no one else can read it."

After what seemed like staring at the object for an eternity, I diverted my attention to him. "Why are you giving this to me? Don't you know what this means?"

What would happen to Harry Potter and the others- all of it were beneath my fingertips.

"Scarlet," Sirius said. "You've always been a part of this world, perhaps not mentioned, but you are. There are many other people who live in this world, but their stories are not told."

As a Harry Potter fan, it was my chance to partake in Harry Potter's world; to make my own story.

But wouldn't that mean changing the events?

"Scarlet?"

My eyes blinked and then I stared at the man who claimed to be my father. "Why am I really here?"

"What?"

"You said you waited for the time I will return one day. Why am I really here?"

"This is where you came from, it's only fair for you to come back home"

"But you want me safe from Voldemort. That means I have to be in the other world."

Sirius shook his head, his long hair obscuring pale eyes. "Were you happy there?" he asked me all of a sudden.

"Excuse me."

"It's a simple question. Were you happy there?"

"Happiness has nothing to do with the situation. The fact is Voldemort is here and by me being here, there is only more danger."

Sirius moved to sit on his bed. He gave out a long breath and buried his face in his hands. "I lost a lot, Scarlet. I lost you, your mother, my best friend and his family, then I went into Azkaban..."

I knew his time in prison was horrible.

"Don't tell me about it." I hoped I didn't sound insincere.

He dropped his hands on his lap. He looked lost and alone before he shook his head. "Yeah, you are right. The time Dumbledore summoned you here, the book and a black feather popped up beside you. I thought you might need them."

I smiled a little at his thoughtfulness. "Thank you."

"Also, you'll be meeting people here at the house and I want you to keep the part that you were summoned here by Dumbledore a secret."

My eyes narrowed on him. "So what exactly do you want me to say if they asked me questions?"

"Tell them you were staying with your mom in the states. You lived a muggle life and came here to be with me."

"What about mom?"

"We're still working things out."

It sounded like a pretty convincing story. Besides, how would everyone react if I told them, hey it's nice to meet you all, by the way I know all of you because you're from the book I read?

"All right."

"Good."

I clutched the book to my chest as I turned away from him. Hurrying out of his room, I made my way back to the bedroom I occupied. I sat down on one of the chairs and opened the novel to the page with the feather and strangely enough it was on page two.

"I didn't finish the first page."

A rumbling came from my stomach. I sighed. Shutting the novel, I left it on the bed. I strode out the room and down the well-lit hall. Placing a hand on the banister at the stairwell, I inhaled a deep breath before slowly making my way down the stairs.

OoO

The moment I almost made it into the kitchen, the voices disappeared. A chubby woman with red hair filled the doorway. She beamed at me before moving to the side to let me into the kitchen.

I gave her a confused look. As if she read my expression she said, "Hello, my name is Molly Weasley and that man sitting at the table with red hair is my husband, Arthur Weasley. Professor Dumbledore told us that you'll be joining us for dinner."

"Well, it's not exactly dinner time. It's after dinner time," the red-headed man said uncomfortably behind her.

"Oh, you hush," she jibed at him.

"Now come!" She put an arm around me and ushered me kindly into the kitchen. "Don't be shy. Take a seat and I'll dish you some food."

"Thank you," I said.

"Ah, it's great to have another girl in the house with some manners unlike the boys. You'll get along great with my daughter, Ginny. By the way, where is that girl?"

The red-headed man shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. The last time I check she was with Ron and Hermione."

"Oh, right." Even with her back facing me while she grabbed a clean plate from one of the kitchen cabinets and started filling the plate with rich smelling food, she continued to talk. "Those are another two you'll get along with. They go to Hogwarts, a school for witches and wizards."

"I think she might know that."

"Hush! Remember she's from the muggle world."

The man slapped a hand to his forehead. "Yes, I remember." Then, suddenly recalling his fascination with the muggle world, he scooted over on the bench at the kitchen table to sit across from me. "There are so many questions I have for you." There was a gleam in his eyes.

My lips stretched across my face, although I was feeling a little uncomfortable.

Mrs. Weasley placed a plate in front of me. "Arthur, you have to give her time to adjust. She just got here from the states."

So, Sirius or Dumbledore already gave them some background information about me. For some strange reason, I felt calmer. I took the fork and began eating the white rice with gravy.

After some time with eating, Mrs. Weasley took my plate. I inhaled deeply, feeling satisfied. "It's really nice of you to spend time with your father but it's also risky."

"He was the one who insisted I stay with him since he didn't see me," I replied politely, but there was a sarcastic remark in my tone.

"Yeah, well, he's been cooped up in Akzaban all these years. We feel he's entitled some sort of freedom."

I wondered if Mr. Weasley was saying that to keep Sirius in check, he and the others needed to keep Sirius occupied. If I were cooped up, I would do everything in my will power to break free. That also meant taking big risks that would lead to public exposure.

"Arthur Weasley, you can't keep your mouth shut?"

He raised a hand to scratch his head awkwardly. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley caught on that her husband revealed something he shouldn't have.

"I'm happy to be with him." I strained to keep my lips twisted.

I didn't know if my reaction worked, but the last thing I wanted to do was give off the wrong impression to the Weasleys. I needed to fit into Harry Potter's world and it started off with by getting the Weasleys to believe me.

"That's good to hear. It's great that a father and daughter reunited after being apart for so many years," she replied. She moved to the sink, washing my plate and fork.

"Yeah," I said, sounding like an idiot.

"Now, how about I take you upstairs to meet the other children?"

"Yeah, I will like that very much."

Suddenly, she hugged me. "Oh, I just love a child with good manners!" she gushed.

"Honey, I think she needs to breathe," Mr. Weasley called out.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed when she pulled back. "My apologies, dear. My excitement gets the best of me."

"That's okay," I said, feeling the heat in my cheeks. My mom never hugged me or gushed at me like how Mrs. Weasley did.

She wiped her hands on a cloth before putting it on the table. She waited patiently for me to get on my feet before taking me back to the dark staircase. I passed a row of shrunken heads mounted on plagues on the wall. A moment, I paused, examining the plagues. They appeared as a weird creature. Gently, Mrs. Weasley's fingers wrapped around my wrist, distracting me from the gory sight. "Don't worry about that. Come."

I nodded my head and let her lead the rest of the way upstairs. We stopped at the door on the right. With her other hand, she turned the bedroom doorknob that looked like a serpent's head and the door opened.

I caught a brief glimpse of a high ceiling, and two beds. Two girls sat on one bed and a boy sat on another bed. They froze, their heads turning to the door and to us before their shoulders hunched over. Definitely, I wasn't the person they were expecting.

The woman strolled into the room while tugging at my wrist. There was a big smile on her chubby face. "Kids, I'll like you to meet Scarlet Black."

Then she looked at me. "Scarlet, this is my son, Ron." As Mrs. Weasley called out their names, she gestured to each of them. "My daughter, Ginny and their friend Hermione."

I didn't know what kind of reaction to give them so I kind of waved at them.

"Wait, Mrs. Weasley, did you say her last name is Black?" the girl with long brown bushy hair asked.

"Why, yes," she answered.

"But..." the boy butted in.

"She's a Black just like Sirius because she's his daughter," Mrs. Weasley simply said.

"Oh boy!" the boy exhaled.

OoO

Upon seeing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, I did a double take. They weren't like I imagined in my head or the illustrations in the book. They were realistic looking like Sirius and Dumbledore. They could definitely pass for people in my world.

"Oh boy," Ron said in disbelief.

Hermione was the one to question Mrs. Weasley. "Did you say that Sirius, I mean Mr. Black is her father?"

The red-headed woman blinked her eyes as she iterated. "Yes."

"Oh," the bushy-haired girl said intellectually.

"Nice to meet you," the other girl with auburn hair replied. It was nice that one of them greeted me normally.

"Thanks, and it's nice to meet you too," I responded with a smile displaying on my face.

She returned my smile with one of her own and I realized we were going to be good friends.

"All right, I'm going to leave you children to discuss things that you do," Mrs. Weasley replied. With one last gentle push in the teenagers' direction, she left me in the room with them. She closed the door, I noted. Why would she do that?

"I never expected Sirius to have a daughter." The red-headed boy grabbed my attention.

I raised both eyebrows at him. "What are you trying to say?"

The teenage boy raised his hands into the air. "I didn't mean..."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't expecting to find out that I'm a witch and that an ex-convict is my father either."

"Hey, that was a mistake," Hermione put in. "He was falsely accused for committing a treacherous act."

While nodding my head I said, "I know all about it."

Again, she iterated, "Oh."

And talking about expectations, this was not the Hermione Granger I pictured. I remembered in the first book she was pushy, came off as a moral and quite know-it-all type of person, but since then, she grew into an important ally to Harry and Ron. I grew to admire her for her wit, intelligence, and compassion in the third book.

"So, umm, when did you discover about being a witch?" Ron's sister asked.

"Not that long ago," I answered.

"It must have come as a shock," Hermione commented. She stared unseeing at me, like her mind was in a different place. She must have been reminiscing the time she got accepted to Hogwarts.

"It did. I always thought that witches, wizards and magic was all part of people's imagination."

"I thought the same thing too."

We both laughed. Ginny joined us a bit afterward, comprehending our comments but Ron looked lost. "I don't get it."

"Oh, don't hurt your head," Hermione replied. We all giggled while Ron's face turned sour. Then he shook his head.

"Well, should we change the topic?" he asked us.

Our mirth simmered down. Hermione, who felt pity for him, decided to give into his whim. "What do you want to talk about?"

"For starters, we should tell the newcomer about our friend."

There was a moment of silence. Ron and Hermione watched each other for the longest time. Being excluded from their topic, I averted my attention to his sister. She was fidgeting in her seat and my brows furrowed.

"Isn't it too soon?" The brunette automatically broke the silence in the room.

"She's going to find out sooner rather than later," the boy replied. "And since she's Sirius' I mean Mr. Black's daughter, she is one of us."

"We should take the time to think this over."

I exhaled a breath. The sound caught the attention of others in the room. "I appreciate meeting you all but I think I've outgrown my welcome." Pretty much, I was getting the hint I was intruding on their private discussion. I turned to leave them when Ginny yelled, "Wait!"

I paused, my neck craned over my shoulder. My eyes spotted the red head.

I simply waited for her to say her peace. "Stay."

The others looked at her like she grew horns on her head. I would've laughed if I still wasn't shocked about being immersed into Harry Potter's world.

"She has a right to know since you know who is back."

The older brother appeared as if he was going to have an outburst but Hermione's hand on his arm stopped him. "She's right. If he's back, there might be a war on the brink."

"But we don't know-."

"If I'm trustworthy," I finished for Ron. One minute I was considered as one of them and then the next I wasn't. They should make up their minds. I pivoted on my feet, pinning him with my eyes. "For your information, I was in my world and then everything turns upside down. I find out that my father is a wizard, that magic exists and that you're all real."

Ron opened his mouth but words failed him.

Hermione bowed her head in shame and Ginny remained quiet.

I crossed my hands over my chest and asked, "So what is it you're uncertain to share with me?"

No one said anything.

I glanced up at the ceiling and slightly shook my head. Uncrossing my arms, I made a move to leave when one of them answered.

"Have you heard of Harry Potter?" Sounds murmured in the room followed by a "what?"

"Yes," I answered. "He's the famous boy who survived."

"That's one way of putting it," Ginny replied. I turned to face them, letting them figure out from my bodily reaction that I was willing to hear them out. "He's our friend."

"Okay."

"And he's coming here because he's the one you know who can't be named is after him."

I gave her a skeptical look. I had yet to read the fifth book of Harry Potter so the idea of Harry coming to Sirius' home didn't click in me besides Harry being his godson.

"You're going to meet him in person."

Her words froze me. Meeting Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dumbledore, and Sirius was one thing. Meeting the famous star of a book was another thing. I clenched my hands into fists at my sides.

"What?" I heard her ask from the distance.

"Did you have to put it that way?" a boy's voice questioned the girl.

"Well, what do you want me to say? It's better she has a head's up then when she actually meets him she has a meltdown. He's going to be coming soon."

"Oh my gosh! How can we forget? Today is his birthday and he's suppose to be coming in tonight with the others."

"The others?" I momentarily interrupted them.

"We got this far, we might as well let her in on everything else," Ginny remarked.

Hermione let out a long breath. "Are you familiar with the Order of the Phoenix?"

I shook my head.

"You might want to sit down for this." The bushy haired girl gestured to the other bed across from her. I made my way toward them and sat down opposite from them. When I did as she suggested, she began filling me in about Voldemort and the evil stuff he did in the past. And after his encounter with Harry, he went missing until the past four years. "It's said that he's back, his powers are fully restored. He and his followers, the death eaters, are planning to change this world. They want to get rid of muggles or any half-bloods so that only purebloods are left. The Order of Phoenix is a group who adverses his beliefs."

From her explanation, I got a sense that a war was brewing. And if such an event was to happen, I came into this world at the wrong time.

My fingers clutched the fabric of my pants while my teeth dug into bottom lip. Hermione stopped talking. I got the impression they were waiting for me to respond.

"I think we told her too much," Ron said.

"I think you should stay quiet," the bushy haired girl retorted.

Ginny was the silent one.

"Okay," I said after a while. I forced my fingers to unwind and then relax. "I admit it's a lot of information."

"Told you," the red-headed boy chimed in. Both girls gave him a stern look.

He easily deflated.

"But I'm aware that Harry Potter is my father's godson so it does make sense that he'll come here," I finished.

"Oh," Hermione said again.

For some reason, I wanted to make her feel better. "I really appreciate you informing me about him and the Order of the Phoenix."

It worked, my compliment. Hermione smiled.

"If you all don't mind, I should be heading back into my room," I told them. I rose to my feet, momentarily stretching my limbs. When my arms rested at my sides, I thanked them and walked toward the door.

"Wait!" Ginny called out. She stood up from her side of the bed and strolled to me. "Do you know where your room is?"

I brought a hand behind my head and awkwardly brush my fingers through the strands of black hair. "Umm, now that I think about it, no."

"Then let's go." Before I could respond, she opened the door and made her way into the hallway. I tagged after her.

Once the door was closed, she leaned against the hallway and inhaled deeply. "Thank you for that brief getaway."

I gave her a weird expression and she laughed. "You don't how it is between the both of them. They're best friends but I feel like there is something more."

"Ah," I said while nodding my head. The auburn haired girl was doing a kind gesture.

"We can find your room together."

"I have an idea where it is," I said. I pointed the direction I remembered coming from.

"That's a good start." She righted herself and began leading the way. "This house is very big. There are so many different rooms, I can barely keep tract which room is which."

"I know what you mean," I replied.

"When I first got here, I got lost often." She laughed uncomfortably. "At least I can find my way around this place better."

"That's a whole lot better than me." I tried my best to get along with her. It felt strange though, because the author didn't include her much in the books. Ginny was just known as Ron's little sister. The most she was mentioned was in the second book "Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secret." She was possessed by Tom Riddle who used a giant snake to get rid of muggles and half-bloods from Hogwarts.

"Well, anyways, are you planning on attending school with us?"

That was the same question Dumbledore and Sirius asked me, which I yet had to respond. Honestly, after reading the forth book and learning of Cedric Diggory's death, I didn't think of Hogwarts as a safe school.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know."

"Seriously?" she asked.

"I want to see if I can return home," I answered her truthfully.

The was a pregnant silence before she replied, "I understand how you feel but aren't you worried about your father? I mean you just found him."

"I guess growing up without a father makes all of this," I motioned to everything, "Hard to accept."

Ginny bobbed her head, a look of understanding crossed her face.

We had passed many doors when I finally halted. One of the doors remained open as I had left mine open on purpose. "This might be my stop."

"Might?"

"Yeah." I peered through the doorway, seeing the flickering of flames in the fireplace casting an eerie glow into the familiar bedroom. "Yep, this is my stop."

"Nice way of telling which is your bedroom. Hermione won't let us keep the door open because she's wary."

"I would be too with all that's happening so far."

I was about to go into the room, that didn't feel like the bedroom I had at home. Nope, this room was dark and gloomy. The air was stale and the furniture appeared as though no one touched them for a long time.

"Just think about it. It will be nice if you can come into Hogwarts. You can learn about magic, make friends and bond more with your father."

Harry had no choice when he discovered that he was a wizard. Compared to his old life, he rather face danger and embrace the world of impossibilities to seek happiness. He found a family in his friends.

I was different. I had my mother and Anton. I was studying in college. I lived in a small apartment but I had my own bedroom. Then, there was my computer. I socialized a lot with people online, made friends through blogging and I was a good student in school. So unlike Harry Potter, the other world felt safe.

 _But you always felt like you didn't belong,_ a little voice said in my head. _You were looking for something else, something unreachable until now._

My head moved side-to-side. "Perhaps I need more time to ponder."

"Then I won't keep you," the auburn-haired girl said. "Oh yeah, before I forget, will you like to be friends?"

I blinked at her. The sincerity on her pretty face caught me off guard. I was accustomed to having little friends, and the rest of people were just there to fill the empty space. Mostly, I kept to myself.

Yet Ginny made me feel comfortable that I found myself confiding in her.

"I will like that very much." My lips stretched across my face.

She extended a hand midair. I put my cool hand in her one and we shook. An agreement was made and I found myself grinning. She was smiling too.

Maybe being in Harry Potter's world wasn't going to be that bad after all.

OoO

I sat on the bed with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" opened on my lap. I just barely got to the time when Harry and the other members of the Phoenix returned from the muggle world. Everyone was making a big deal about Harry's return. He was their hero, the one who survived several times from his encounters with the dark lord.

A commotion outside my door caught my attention. My brows drew together as I closed the book and put it aside. Tossing my legs to the side of the bed, I stood up and made my way to the door, hearing a swift knock. Who would be knocking at such an hour?

Deciding to open the door, I saw the rumpled appearance of Ginny. Her long red hair fell over her shoulders in tangled waves. She wore striped pajamas. Her feet were bare. At any other time I would be amused but not when she was panting for air.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her out of concern.

"He's here."

"Who is here?" I wasn't following along with her.

"Harry."

Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand and began to dash down the hall. I never pegged Ginny to be a runner but the way we moved, everything around me became a blur until I found myself standing at the stairwell landing.

There were a lot of people I didn't recognize crowding around a dark haired boy. Spectacles glimmered in one of the lights while a small smile curled on the edge of his lips. "Harry," I heard Ginny whispered beside me.

I raised my brows, taking in the so called "hero." I noticed he didn't look uncomfortable being among other witches and wizards. The way he greeted them, patted some people on the back or gave hugs, he did it with an ease and confidence that I couldn't imagine due to his childhood with the Dursleys. Yet, here, he was accepted. He was one of them.

My fingers twined together while I looked away. "That's Harry," Ginny whispered from next to me.

"I figured," I responded.

She just smiled.

And then the boy named Harry looked up at us. His vivid green eyes falling on the red head next to me.

"Ginny," he said, his voice low and smooth.

"Harry," she returned but there was a shyness in her tone.

Then his eyes shifted to me and my breath froze. He frowned. Clearly, he didn't know me.

"And you are?" The words came out of his lips.

I was transfixed, possibly trying to tell the difference between him in person and the one I imagined in my head. I didn't reply.

"This is..." Ginny was going to introduce me but someone else beat her. "This is my daughter, Harry. This is Scarlet Black."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Please comment. Thanks.


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